1
as in assaulted
to take sudden, violent action against
our dog unexpectedly attacked the mailman, sinking his teeth into the startled man's leg
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slammed
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
the mayor and all his aides were attacked mercilessly in the press when the scandal erupted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tackled
to start work on energetically
Courtney attacked the huge mess in her room with determination and enthusiasm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of attacked
Crabtree stopped, turned, attacked the ball and snagged it.
—
The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Nelson claimed to police that the man attacked her and their son after opening the car door.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 9 Nov. 2025
In 1931, Mae Clarke played Frankenstein's fiancée, Elizabeth, who is attacked by the Monster on their wedding night.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
In October alone, shoppers were attacked in a supermarket, a Spanish tourist was scratched by a cub at a heritage site, and a trail runner was forced to wrestle a bear in the woods before sprinting to safety.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
At the time of the incident, DHS defended Bovino's actions saying that a Border Patrol transport van transporting undocumented immigrants was attacked by demonstrators.
—James Hill, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2025
In a statement, police said a medium-sized dog attacked a small dog near Lake Elizabeth.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
But the most common way the demons attacked was by lulling their victims into sleep.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
After the match, Owens attacked Jericho, causing him to get carried out on a stretcher.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attacked
Verb
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An 88-year-old Seattle woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after a man violently assaulted and robbed her, biting off her finger and stealing her jewelry, police say.—
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The former Fox Sports analyst allegedly assaulted 69-year-old Perry Tole in an alley, and the ensuing fight left both men hospitalized with serious injuries.—
Verb
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Wilson slammed Homeland Security officials for the shooting that came a day after a woman was fatally shot by immigration agents in Minneapolis.—
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Many Democrats have slammed the administration's conclusions, arguing that the video does not appear to show the woman trying to hit officers.—
Verb
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Their TikTok and Instagram updates documenting the mansion’s transformation quickly found an audience, with thousands watching as the Yousefs tackled one challenge after another.—
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The group has smacked around quarterbacks, tackled well and dominated most key areas but hasn’t taken the ball away like an elite defense.—
Verb
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Prosecutors said that in December 2024, Mexican authorities raided multiple fentanyl production labs across Sinaloa that were allegedly controlled by the father and son and made the world’s largest ever fentanyl seizure, which totaled more than 3,300 pounds of the ultra-potent drug.—
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Getting their roster raided by Power 4 conference programs, including the one where their former coach is now running the show.—
Verb
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Students sat in rows, making faces at each other, scolded by their teachers to behave.—
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders scolded the media on Sunday after the team’s close loss to the Buffalo Bills at home.—
Verb
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During their initial investigation, police found that two men approached the home's front door.—
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The teen was playing basketball at the park when he was approached by a group of young adults, who asked the teen if he was affiliated with a gang and tried to start a fight, police said.—
Verb
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The Stars have now lost six straight games (0-3-3) after getting battered Tuesday night by those same Hurricanes that Colorado stormed back against three days prior.—
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After Washington led by as many as 26 points late in the third quarter, the Magic stormed back and used a 42-18 run to cut their deficit to just two points with five minutes left in the game.—
Verb
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The suit alleges that Ham abused her repeatedly over a number of years, and that defendants knew of the abuse, but instead chose to prioritize reputational and financial interests over her safety.—
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Canty, a former special agent in charge of the SBI’s Charlotte region office, resigned from the Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office in November 2024 and issued a letter then alleging that McFadden abused his powers.—
Cite this Entry
“Attacked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attacked. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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